Refrigerated Delicatessen Cheeses in Retail Display Cases

Cheese is created and aged in cool, dry, and dark conditions, carefully protected from light. Under display conditions in delicatessens, cheese becomes faded, dehydrated, and can develop off-flavors.

Dehydration of Refrigerated Deli Cheese Displays

Cheese is created and aged in cool, dry, and dark conditions, carefully protected from light. When displayed under delicatessen display lighting, blocks of cheese and pre-sliced cheese can quickly become dehydrated, even when the deli case is equipped with a humidifier and the cheese is wrapped in transparent films.

UV and visible spectrum radiation from deli display case lighting penetrates through refrigerated temperatures and clear wrappings to raise the surface temperature of merchandised cheese, causing the cheese to dry out.

Spoilage and Discoloration of Refrigerated Deli Cheese Displays

UV and visible spectrum radiation from deli display case lighting penetrates through refrigerated temperatures and clear wrappings to raise the surface temperature of displayed cheese, increasing the risk of lipid oxidation which causes milkfats to turn rancid. When light absorbing ingredients such as pepper, herbs, and vegetables are added to cheese, this oxidation process is accelerated.

Cheeses that contain food dyes, such as cheddar, fade under deli display lighting, while white cheeses such as feta turn yellowish when exposed to light and can develop off-flavors when the milkfat oxidizes.

Promolux lamps reduce the rate of chemical reactions in cheese caused by heat and light radiation. Compared to other fluorescent lighting, Promolux lamps prevent over 86% of UV B radiation and 52% of UV A radiation from entering a case thereby extending the shelf life, flavor, color and nutritional integrity of the cheese product.

We recently purchased L70T8 Promolux bulbs for our dairy display case and are pleased with their performance. We are very concerned about the high levels of UV radiation emitted by fluorescent bulbs. Additionally this type of radiation causes vitamin degradation, off flavor development, and the “pinking affect” in cheddar cheese. These problems have been eliminated when we installed your Promolux merchandising lights in our dairy case.

The light emitted from your Promolux bulbs is very appealing and makes our dairy product display case very attractive for our customers. We continue to receive positive customer feedback from our customers. I recommend Promolux bulbs to food companies that provide dairy products in their display cases.

Thomas Palchak, Penn State Berkey Creamery

Unleash the best presentation possible for your specialty cheese showcases – use Promolux lights and add another dimension to your displays!

Request a custom quote right now for your business and join the thousands of other satisfied Promolux customers world wide who are enjoying fresh, brilliant looking displays.